DMX - What They Really Want ft. Sisqo

2000

DMX - What They Really Want ft. Sisqo (2000) Director: Marc Klasfeld Era: Late Hip-Hop Golden Age / Ruff Ryders Era (1999–2000) - Peak crossover period bridging hardcore East Coast rap and R&B chart dominance, anchored by Island Def Jam's dominance and Ruff Ryders as a cultural force High curatorial value as one of two distinct video productions for the same song, offering a rare direct comparison between an explicit (Hype Williams) and censored (Marc Klasfeld) treatment. Documents the commercial and creative infrastructure of Def Jam's dual-market video strategy at the height of hip-hop's mainstream crossover period. Preserves a specific aesthetic mode, warm-lit, club-staged, performance-anchored, that defined the visual language of East Coast rap's commercial zenith. The moderate pacing and theatrical staging mark a clear generational contrast with the faster-cut, hyper-digital aesthetic that would follow in the early 2000s. Context: Released in 2000 as the third single from DMX's platinum album...And Then There Was X (1999), 'What They Really Want' represents a defining moment of late-90s hip-hop and R&B crossover culture. DMX was at the apex of his commercial dominance, having released two number-one albums in a single year (1998–1999). The collaboration with Sisqó, simultaneously conquering pop charts with 'Thong Song', epitomized the era's genre-blending commercial strategy. The song was produced by Nokio the N-Tity of Dru Hill, cementing ties between the Ruff Ryders ecosystem and Baltimore R&B. The video's warm, club-lit aesthetic reflects the period's convergence of street rap and mainstream entertainment visibility, a visual grammar shared by Def Jam artists of the period. Director notes: This video serves as the censored radio-edit version of the song (titled 'What They Really Want'), distinct from the explicit 'What These Bitches Want' video directed by Hype Williams. IMVDb credits Klasfeld specifically for this version (IMVDb ID: 243115086390). The video was released in 2000 as the third single from DMX's third album...And Then There Was X (1999) on Island Def Jam Music Group. The production was handled under N-Tity Productions, Inc., the imprint of Sisqo's Dru Hill collaborator Nokio the N-Tity, who also produced the underlying track. The censored edit's separate video production reflects standard late-90s Def Jam practice of commissioning distinct visual treatments for explicit and radio-clean versions to maximize airplay across MTV, BET, and radio-crossover markets.